“We choose to work with Orchard FM because they are a company that clearly wants to build a relationship with us, work with us and look after us. We see tangible evidence of a partnership ethos in every conversation we have with Orchard and it is very clear that they invest in relationships within their own business by valuing and developing their people.”Tim Parkinson, Caring for Life.

Caring For Life is a Christian charity that supports homeless or vulnerable people by providing accommodation, ongoing support, love and friendship for as long as they need it. In addition to the practical and emotional care provided through its housing projects, the charity operates a wide variety of therapeutic daytime activities at Crag House Farm, a working farm in North Leeds. The farm is also home to the public face of the charity which includes a restaurant, farm shop and garden centre.

Orchard FM and Caring For Life quickly identified shared values and since 2014 have developed a strong partnership. Orchard provides Caring for Life with a range of facilities management services including IT support, site security and cleaning. By sourcing suppliers that offer the best value for money and managing contracts to maintain excellent service levels, Orchard ensures that as little of the charity’s budget as possible is spent on overheads, with more going directly to help those who need its care.

Orchard is proud to provide financial support, through its charitable arm, for a variety of projects including the purchase of a new minibus for one of Caring for Life’s supported houses. Orchard’s directors also offer peer mentoring, sharing their commercial experience to help the charity’s management team overcome the challenges involved in running a growing organisation.

Site Security

Caring For Life’s daytime projects are based at the charity’s headquarters on a 125 acre farm in Cookridge, Leeds. Therapeutic activities include agriculture, equestrian, music, art and crafts, adult literacy, catering, horticulture and mechanics. These projects play a significant role in helping vulnerable people to achieve a settled, constructive lifestyle.

Following three major burglaries at the site, the charity decided to outsource security to prevent crime and relieve the staff and volunteers of the responsibility of protecting its property and people.

Tim Parkinson of Caring for Life said:

“As a charity we don’t want to have the responsibility of keeping our site secure and making sure everyone on the premises is kept safe – we just want to come in each day ready to deliver care.

“By outsourcing that responsibility to Orchard our HR staff no longer have the headache of managing rotas to make sure the site is supervised out of hours and covering for absence. If we have a problem we ring Orchard and they sort it out for us.

“Orchard also advises us on best practice in relation to lockdown procedures and CCTV. This means we have been able to demonstrate to our insurers that we are taking a proactive approach to security and continually investigating ways to improve standards right across the site.”

Tim said a decision by Orchard FM to change security supplier at the last minute had demonstrated outstanding customer care.

“We had agreed on a supplier with Orchard but before contracts were signed their team flagged up the fact that they had concerns about the honesty and transparency of the company concerned,” Tim explained.

“Orchard FM were clearly looking after our best interests and we eventually settled on a supplier that we were all satisfied would provide us with a robust and ethical service.”

Orchard FM is an SIA Approved Contractor, putting it amongst the best providers of private security in the UK, guaranteeing clients the highest possible standards of customer service and safety.

Orchard’s site security services include providing trained and vetted security personnel on site to protect our customers’ premises, goods and staff and offering round the clock security and cover for specific high risk periods such as overnight.

Gareth Henderson of Orchard FM said:

“Caring for Life differs from many commercial sites in that it extends across more than 100 acres, made up of farmland and workshops as well as restaurant, retail and office premises.

“By looking after things on a day to day basis we can relieve the staff of the burdens associated with managing their own security personnel and dealing with burglaries. We can provide peace of mind that their security is rigorous and advise them on additional measures that may be needed for insurance purposes or additional reassurance.”

Other FM Services

Orchard Facilities Management has been advising Caring For Life on IT connectivity and infrastructure since 2014.

The most recent addition to Caring For Life’s FM portfolio has been cleaning services. Orchard’s fully vetted cleaning teams provide a flexible service which includes all equipment and materials with no long term contracts.

Tim Parkinson said:

“Caring for Life is here to catch people who fall. We provide an environment where they feel loved and respected and where they have an opportunity to develop life skills to help them move forward with their lives.

“By outsourcing some of our operational services to Orchard FM we have more time and resources available to focus on making a difference to the people in our care.”

Find out More

To find out more about Orchard FM and outsourced facilities management services call 01422 880 180 or visit www.orchard-fm.com